Forbidden Root Chicago’s botanical brewery

Forbidden Root  Chicago’s botanical brewery by Aaron Fowler

When you’ve had your fill of holiday spices, make room for something a bit more natural. December reintroduces a forgotten era for beer drinkers, as Forbidden Root—Chicago’s first botanical brewery—hits shelves in the Buckeye state.

Founding entrepreneur Robert Finkel initially had the idea to create a truly authentic root beer that blossomed into a full-blown evolution of botanic brews. Bringing on board craft beer icon, author and expert on innovative brewing, Randy Mosher, as a creative partner, Forbidden Root emerged.

While the concept of using such natural ingredients as bark, stems, flowers, herbs and roots, among other things, is nothing new to the brewing process, it is indeed something that has been neglected for far too long.

This month, Forbidden Root will unveil its three core beers in the state of Ohio with a handful of limited releases to come later. Here is what the Forbidden Root has in store for all the craft beer lovers across the state:

Sublime Ginger

A refreshingly savory wheat ale with an incredibly balanced inclusion of key lime juice and ginger makes for the perfect fusion of citrus and gingery bite. At 3.8 percent alcohol per volume, what more could anyone ask for?

Wildflower Pale Ale

There’s no better way to make a pale ale more floral than with the addition of elderflower, marigold, and sweet osmanthus flowers. An impressively tropical hop aroma lends itself to a nice crisp body with a satisfyingly subtle bitterness.

Money on My Rind

Easily the most unique of the core releases, this witbier deliciously mimics a gin and juice for all to enjoy. Juniper berries, pure grapefruit and grains of paradise turn this brew into something utterly one-of-a-kind.

All three core Forbidden Root releases can be found for $11.99 per six-pack at select Mustard Seed, Fishers Foods and Acme Fresh Market locations as well as your favorite local craft beer bottle shop. Also, look out for these and other forthcoming releases on draft at your neighborhood watering hole.